The Seventh Seal (The Chronicles of Daniel Stone Book 1) Page 7

  My brain was working frantically to figure out a way to get there when a large bundle of rope and a fence post floated out of the shed. I grabbed them immediately and tied one end of the rope around my waist and the other to the corner post of the shed. I didn’t know how long the rope was, but my plan was rudimentary and functional. I would run out into the water, taking up the slack in the rope and using the fence post to control my sideways movement from the water. With each step moving forward and sideways, I intended to progress to my goal. If my calculations were correct and the rope was long enough, I would end up close to the admin block.

  Theories, of course, are simple. I managed to stay on my feet for about ten of the forty feet of my journey before being tumbled over again. The water was now getting deeper, but I was able to use the fence post as a brace to lever myself upright into a relatively stable position. Buckley and Big Jack were scrambling away from the admin block now, arms thrashing in the water, trying desperately to get to safety; this was the last time I saw them both alive…

  As I looked towards the east I could see a huge wave approaching; what we had experienced so far was nothing more than a puddle compared to what was heading our way. The crest of the wave must have been at least fifty feet high and the white water foaming on its crest was now like a pack of salivating dogs getting ready for their main meal. I didn’t have long; my only chance was to get onto the roof of the admin block.

  The wave was about two miles away and by the time it reached the prison camp there was an outside chance it would have dropped in height sufficiently for me to be safe on the roof, but first I had to get there. I continued my progress using the fence post and my own strength with the diagonal traverse and finally reached the stone wall. The front door was four feet above me and although water was already flowing in, if I could get inside I could use the internal staircase to access the roof. Luckily where the wooden veranda had been attached to the wall the timbers now gone had left open pockets, which I could use as foot and arm holds. I did not have sufficient length left on my rope and so had to discard my lifeline, which I cut with a knife I’d kept with me during my incarceration. My foot and hand found their first holds and within two moves I was inside the admin block, which was now under water. I had no time to rest.

  A quick check to the east confirmed my fears that my time was short. I raced up the staircase, pushed open the hatch and entered the loft space. I took the short length of rope that was left around my waist and tied myself onto one of the main roof beams and held on with hope. I did not have to wait long.

  The wave hit the admin block with a hollow shudder, smashing any remaining windows and pushing the air inside the building upwards. I was lifted with the updraft and for a brief moment floated like a balloon on a string before coming back down with a hard thud. I hit the roof beams and felt a crack as one of my ribs broke. My legs fell through the ceiling, but I just managed to grab a beam and haul myself onto the structure, as my legs dangled in the torrent below.

  The updraft had removed nearly all of the roof tiles and above me was now sky. My calculations had been correct and the water had levelled just below the roof. As I gathered my composure, I blinked several times to remove the water drop lenses from my eye lashes that were blurring my vision to see that Arahas prison was now Arahas Lake. The scouring effect of the water had exposed the true extent of the basin that Arahas had been built in and had created a lake of around twenty five feet deep. I knew this because I was all that was left. It would have looked to someone from the newly formed lake shoreline that I was floating atop a makeshift timber raft: the roof of the admin block. To the west the water had dumped the sand and dirt from the basin along with all the barrack blocks and the inmates into a macabre dune: a mosaic of man and nature.

  After the initial shock of this, I quickly came around to my own fortunes and the opportunity that now presented itself to me. In one fell swoop, the uncertainty of the balance had given me the best escape plan possible. What I now needed to do was get to the spindrift, which Buckley kept locked away in the admin block I was sitting on. The problem, of course, was that it was now under water…

  September 2012, Tolemak Castle

  The news of the storm and the carnage at Arahas soon reached Tolemak; I happened to be with Albertus in his chambers when a tawny owl named Angus landed on his windowsill.

  ‘Come here, Angus, what news do you bring today?’ Angus flew in and landed on the Great Book and Albertus removed the message from the brass tube attached to his leg. His face turned ashen instantly.

  ‘What is it, Albertus? What has happened?’

  ‘Grave news, my old friend, grave news indeed. It would seem a large storm has wiped out Arahas prison and all are dead.’

  ‘What? How could a storm wipe out the whole prison?’

  As quickly as the shock of this news hit me, my mind moved to our arch enemy. ‘What about Smee?’

  ‘It would appear he is dead, but my instincts tell me different; if this were true it would be good news for all of Thera and both Earth and Arthe, but I fear there is more to play out yet with Smee.’

  ‘What do we do, Albertus? What about Sarah and Daniel?’

  ‘Yes, what about them indeed? We must be careful, Elias; I don’t want to scare Sarah unnecessarily… but on the other hand we will not do our cause any good if she finds herself and Daniel in harm’s way because we didn’t act. We are left in quite a dilemma; we must not be hasty, or lax. We have a fine balance, as always, to maintain, Elias. Let’s think logically: he can’t leave Thera and still does not know that we don’t have the Seventh Seal. So we have no need for immediate panic; he can’t get to Sarah or Daniel.’

  Having calmed his mind with logical deduction I threw a drows in the works.

  ‘Albertus… what about the stock of spindrift that Buckley was given?’

  ‘He couldn’t get access to that, surely? Could he?’

  Albertus now tried to answer his own question and dispel my concerns. ‘Buckley would never have given that up or told him; he had too much of a good thing going on there.’

  ‘Well you know how persuasive Smee is, Albertus. Anyway, we need to know for sure if he survived so why don’t we send Lucius and Thomas?’

  ‘You are, of course, right, Elias. Where are they? Send them immediately.’

  September 2012 Arahas Prison, Eastern Desert

  I knew I couldn’t stay on top of this faux life raft for long; people from the town would soon arrive or worse the Keepers would turn up. I now had to get hold of the spindrift. The water was murky with all the mud, but I had no choice; I had to dive in.

  I knew that Buckley’s office was directly below me and with three deep breaths I went in kicking hard and using all the strength left in my arms. I made my way down the staircase using the handrail as a guide and aide to my goal. There was no water current in the building so I only had to fight my blindness in the water. I had to rely on a mental picture of the building, visualising my position and using touch as my eyes. Changes in stair direction, door frames, floors; all became markers for me to get to Buckley’s cabinets where he kept the spindrift.

  I knew I didn’t have long underwater, a few minutes at the most and the exertion was already causing pain in my chest as my body starved of oxygen was pleading for air. I reached the door to his office, but I could go no further and I had to resurface. Going up was easy as my natural buoyancy took me through the building three times as fast as I went down.

  I could see light above me and when my head broke the water I gasped in what must have been the most beautiful air I’d ever had. My whole body cried with relief as the organs began to function normally again. I looked around, but still no one had arrived at Arahas; I guessed I had one more chance.

  I knew my way now to the entrance to Buckley’s office and estimated I could get there quicker next time, allowing me to access the cabinet. I composed myself one last time and again headed under. I reached the entrance quickly and
headed left, finding the cabinet. The doors were jammed and so I placed my feet on the bottom of the cabinet and pulled with all my strength on the doors. The doors gave way, but with my feet on the bottom of the unit I caused it to topple over, spilling the contents into the water. The spindrift was lost…

  When I broke the surface the second time my despair was increased with the sight of Lucius Crambourne and Thomas Orvieto standing on the wooden roof structure with their drows drawn. They were the first to speak as my shock sunk in.

  ‘Well, well, Thomas, what do we have here? It looks like Albertus was right: not even the worst storm in the whole of Theran history could kill this water snake.’

  ‘It would seem so, Lucius… how do you want to play this, Smee? Do you want to come easily, and by easily I mean we don’t kill you, or do you want to fight? Personally I would prefer the latter, but we’re fair men and will give you the choice.’

  My options were running out; I was unarmed, floating in cold water and even if I could get out I was not strong enough to take on two Keepers.

  ‘Well, gentlemen, it seems you have me at a slight disadvantage.’

  No sooner had I spoken than my true destiny was once more favoured and three bottles of spindrift bobbed up right by me. The three bottles, made of dark matter in order to contain the energy, were quite small and fit easily into my hands; I grabbed all three and as I pulled the stopper from one of them and I looked at the two Keepers, I smiled. My fortunes had changed dramatically.

  ‘But it would seem that the balance is not favouring the Keepers; perhaps you should consider joining me now. I won’t make you this offer twice. The next time we meet I will kill you.’

  Lucius and Thomas looked on speechless as I put my thumb over the top of the opened bottle and let the energy within course through my body. Visualising the infinite regulus energy pathways and where I wanted to be, I disappeared.

  September 2012, Tolemak Castle

  Albertus and I greeted the return of Lucius and Thomas with apprehension.

  ‘He got away again?’ Albertus shouted at both of them before they then went on to explain what had happened.

  Albertus sank down in his chair and put his head in his hands. ‘He will head for Gadeiriol; he will look to kill Daniel. The three of you will have to leave now; you have to stop him. You have to save Daniel and Sarah and bring them here. It is time for the new Keeper of the Seventh Seal to face his destiny. Thomas, Lucius, Elias… go.’

  September 2012, Gadeiriol, Earth

  I was still laughing at my good fortune and the look on the dumbfounded Keepers’ faces as I materialised in Gadeiriol. It was early evening and getting dark when I arrived. The spindrift had delivered me right into the centre of the village and my arrival amongst a handful of locals was enough to send them running. Fear is a strong emotion and it was good to see fear again in others’ faces. It was comforting to me to know that I could still hold sway over the inferior mind. I grabbed one of them before he could run and snarled at him.

  ‘Where does Daniel Stone live?’

  He couldn’t speak and pointed up the street to a cottage. I threw him to the floor and he scuttled backwards like a crab using his feet and arms to get away from me. I gave him one last pathetic look and turned towards my real goal.

  The village was now in darkness, and this darkness was only cut by small squares and rectangles of light from the cottages, the occasional street light and the moon giving its eerie glow; it gave me the perfect cover to approach their cottage. The Stone residence was peaceful; I could see no movement and the only hint at occupation was a soft light from behind the curtained window on the ground floor and light wisps of smoke from the chimney, which looked silver when the moonlight reflected off it.

  I had no weapon other than my small knife and so I moved with care and stealth around the garden before finding what I needed: a wooden stake used to support some young plants. Its sharpened end would work nicely as a makeshift weapon and after all I was only dealing with a woman and a boy.

  It was important that my entrance was maximised to instil as much fear in my two victims as I could muster. I approached the front door and judged whether I could kick it open; I couldn’t, it was well constructed and there was little point trying. I knocked a couple of times with my hands, quick, hard thuds that resonated with menace. I heard the chain unlock and a key turn, and as soon as the door opened a fraction I charged and put all my weight into it. The person behind it, as it turned out the boy, went flying across the floor. The mother was open mouthed and in shock, just as I wanted her to be. She screamed and then spoke to Daniel.

  ‘Are you alright? Come here quickly… Who are you? What do you want? We have no money, but take what you want, just don’t hurt us please.’

  I loved seeing weak minds crumble and the fear escalate in my presence; this is what set me apart from them.

  ‘Dear woman, I have not come for your money, I’ve come for him.’ I pointed to Daniel and she now realised who I was.

  ‘You’re Smee… oh my god… how did—’

  ‘How did I get out? Well that is a good story, but not for today, as I don’t have the time, so we can do this the easy way and you live, if you hand the boy over now, or he can watch you die and I take him anyway.’

  ‘Please, he is just a boy, what harm can he bring you?’

  ‘Oh, he is no ordinary boy; he is an heir to the Seventh Seal.’

  Daniel now spoke in a frightened voice.

  ‘Mum, what’s he on about? Heir to what? What’s the Seventh Seal?’

  I laughed. ‘They haven’t told you, boy, have they? You don’t know who you are. Well that makes it all the more interesting. Come here or I’ll kill your mother now.’

  He pulled away from his mother and was on his way over to me when from behind I heard a noise. I moved, grabbed him around his shoulders and held my makeshift sword in a defensive stance as three Keepers entered the house.

  ‘You are too late, the boy is mine.’

  Elias was the first of them to speak.

  ‘Odling, you have nowhere to go. There are three of us with drows and you… you have a pointed stick,’ he said, mocking my makeshift weapon.

  ‘Don’t underestimate me, Elias. I have the boy and I will kill him.’

  ‘What will that serve? You can’t get away.’

  ‘You forget, Elias, three very important facts: firstly, the boy and I are related, and we are connected through the regulus; secondly, I came here using spindrift and so I am already being pulled back to Thera; and thirdly, the boy has Theran blood coursing through him, his very being is drawn to Thera by the natural ways of the balance. All that, Keeper, means that with the two full bottles of spindrift I can get him and me back to Thera permanently. Do you know your problem, Elias? You never come with a plan.’ I laughed.

  With that I pulled out the remaining bottles of spindrift. The mother screamed at me.

  ‘No, no, no, please don’t take my boy. You killed my husband, please, please don’t take him.’

  The boy struggled in my arms, but I had a tight hold of him. He now started to shout.

  ‘You killed my father,’ screamed Daniel.

  ‘Okay, this little gathering has run its course. I would love to stay and chat some more, but I have business to attend to elsewhere.’

  ‘Smee, we will just follow you and have our fight out in Thera.’

  ‘I do hope so, Thomas. I did make that promise to kill you the next time we met, but on Thera, the odds will be more in my favour. I’m taking the boy back to the Badaran; they are two hundred strong so I prefer my chances in that battle. Tell Albertus I will be in the Eastern Desert, waiting for him. I will give the boy back when he gives me the Seventh Seal; I will not kill him if he does what I ask, you have my word on that.’

  ‘Your word, you’re a murdering scumbag,’ said Sarah.

  ‘Lady, I have a lot of patience but not for the weak-minded such as you so please refrain from insults. Thi
s little exchange today has no emotion for me; I need something, Albertus has it and you want your boy back. I will keep my end of the bargain and I would suggest you go whimper and cry to Albertus; he’s the one who can save him now.’

  With that I flicked off the top of the two remaining spindrift bottles and once again felt the energy course through my body and now the boy’s too. He still struggled, but the power of the regulus was too strong and he succumbed to my will. We left in an instant.

  *

  The mood in the Stone residence was subdued as we all stood in shock.

  ‘Elias, this is all your fault; you let Michael die and now he’s taken my boy. How did he escape from Arahas? You told me he was there for life.’

  ‘Sarah, I’m so sorry. Smee always seems to be one step ahead of us. He didn’t escape from Arahas as such; there was a massive storm, it flattened the place and killed everyone except Smee.’

  ‘My god, that man has more lives than a cat. Take me to Albertus, Elias.’

  Sarah’s mood was now one of determination; her emotions were being focused as she was preparing for a fight to save Daniel, as we all looked like bumbling idiots.

  ‘Thomas, Lucius, take Sarah back to Tolemak. I will see you there shortly.’

  Before returning to Tolemak there was something I needed to do…

  9th September 2012 Eastern Desert

  My welcome back to the Badaran was only matched by my own smugness at once again outwitting the Keepers. I was confident now I would win; this was like a game of the Keeper’s Challenge and each move I made was knocking the Keepers back. It was just a few more moves before I won.

  The boy was understandably confused and for the first time in a very long time I felt some empathy with another human. I was taken back to the time when I lost my own mother. She was killed when I was Daniel’s age and I too was confused about life and its meaning, but he would have to learn as I did. With luck he would see my side, and would understand why I had to kill his father. Perhaps he could be the next in line to me…